Loom battery thread tensioner



y 1955 M. w. ODOM ETAL 2,712,833

LOOM BATTERY THREAD TENSIONER Filed Jan. 15, 1955 "Hi!IiifiHiEHiiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiflim 1 7*,

INVENTORS MARVIN W, ODOM THOMAS B. HUNT I ATTORNEY United States Patent2,712,833 LOOM BATTERY THREAD TENSIONER Marvin W. Odom, Roswell, andThomas B. Hunt, A Ga.

Application January 15, 1953, Serial No. 331,366 7 Claims. (Cl. 139-248)use heretofore, the yarn has not been maintained at the and a mispickhas resulted with consequent imperfections in the fabric on account ofthe thread sagging due to the vibration of the loom or the failure ofthe attendant to wind the yarn about the tension knob adjacent thetension disk associated with the battery.

It is an object of the invention to overcome the deficiencies in themechanism which previously has been employed and to eliminate the humanelement and its failure to properly tension the yarn by providingmechanism which will maintain the proper tension on the yarn at alltimes so that the fabric will be devoid of imperfections.

Another object of the invention is to provide the necessary tension onyarn carried in a battery by the use of mechanical tensioning meanswhich is fully automatic in its operation and which is capable ofaccommodating from the lightest to the heaviest and from the weakest tothe strongest of yarns.

Another object of the invention is to improve the cleanliness of theloom by keeping waste yarn severed by the yarn cutter off of the lay asthe battery of bobbins is rotated, the yarn being held by the tensionmechanism from one side of which the surplus yarn can be detached by theattendant.

A further object of the invention is to improve the eificiency of theloom by reduction in stoppage occasioned by improper transfer or mispickand to thereby increase production in making it possible for anattendantto care for from 10 to 30 per cent more batteries, particularly in viewof the fact that the attendant does not have to Wrap the yarn around thetension knob, thus saving labor.

A still further object is to provide automatic mechanical tensioningmechanism comprising cooperating tensioning disks arranged in a seriesof pairs held in contact under predetermined tension by cone-typetension springs having requisite hardness and durability, and with thesprings held in a manner to permit variation of the tension on the yarn.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe following description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective illustrating the invention applied to aconventional loom;

Fig. 2, an end elevation of the tensioner per se;

Fig. 3, a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4, a section through a pair of tensioning disks.

Briefly stated, the invention comprises a yam-tensioning device whichreplaces the disk and wrap-around proper tension at all times 2,712,833Patented July 12, 1955 knob used in conjunction with a battery ofyarn-carrying bobbins of a conventional loom, by means of which tensionis maintained on the yarn during changeover a full bobbin, the batteryon which the bobbins are carried being rotated a fraction of arevolution from one bobbin to the next. The yarn-tensioning member ofthe present invention comprises a Wheel or spider having a hub with armssupporting'a ring or annulus upon which cooperating friction disks aremounted in pairs. The contacting disks have peripheral beveled portionsto provide a V-shaped groove for yarn receiving, and the disks aremaintained in contact by means of cone-type springs. Thus yarn Will begripped between each pair of disks and will not require the wrap-aroundknob as in prior constructions.

With continued reference to the drawing, a loom 10 is employed forweaving fabric 11 from yarn carried on bobbins 12 supported in a battery13 mounted on a shaft 14, all of conventional character. The bobbins 12are taken in a conventional manner from the bottom of the battery, oneby one, into the shuttle (not shown) and carried across the width of thefabric being produced until such time as the yarn on the particularbobbin proper position and a changeover from the empty bobbin to thefull bobbin is eflected.

In the operation just described with apparatus previously in use and inorder to produce fabric of top quality, it has been necessary and anattempt has been made to maintain the yarn at the proper tension at alltimes by extending the same over the periphery of a disk (not shown) andfor an attendant to wind the yarn a few turns about a knob (not shown)at the center of the disk. This has resulted in a waste of a largeamount of yarn.

The present invention maintains the necessary tension upon the yarn bythe provision of yarn tensioning mechanism, comprising a wheel or spiderhaving a hub 15 adapted to be attached to the shaft 14 by an Allen nut16. The hub is provided with a series of arms 17 of which four areshown, and these arms extend each at an angle substantially of 45 fromthe axis of the hub and they support at their outer ends a ring orannulus 18. On the ring 18 is a series of spaced outwardly extendingradial projections 19 in each of which is mounted a stud 20disposed'substantially at right angles thereto and substantially in theplane of the ring.

On each stud is rotatably mounted a pair of tension disks 21, eachhaving a peripheral beveled portion 22 which constitutes with thebeveled portion of the companion disk an annular V-shaped yarn receivinggroove. The adjacent flat side faces of each pair of disks are normallymaintained in contact by cone-type, tempered, compression springs23mounted on the studs 20 so that yarn can be applied to the groove andthence between the faces of the disks and gripped sutficiently tomaintain proper tension thereon. The disks 21 preferably are cupshapedin order to accommodate the conical tempered compression springs 23 andadjusting nuts 24 threaded on the free end of the studs 20.

It will be understood that the spider of the present invention includesan annulus located substantially in the same position as the notcheddisk which it replaces and which insulates against electricity eitherstatic or otherwise, has been found to be satisfactory, the invention isnot limited thereto as other materials may be used.

The use of disks in the manner described aifords greater ease,flexibility, accuracy and eificiency of operation. a

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changesmaybe made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scopethereof, and therefore the invention is not limited by that which isshown in the drawing and described in the specification, but only asindicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a loom including a shaft and a battery of bobbins with fillingyarn thereon, yarn tensioning mechanism comprising a Wheel having a hubof a size to fit on said shaft, and a series of uniformly spaced armsextending at angles of substantially 45 from the axis of said nub, aring on the outer end of said arms, a series of uniformly spaced radialprojections in substantially a single plane extending outwardly fromsaid ring, a stud carried by each of said projections substantially atright angles thereto and in the plane of said ring, a pair ofcooperating plastic tension disks with adjacent peripheral portionsbeveled and providing an annular V-shaped groove mounted on each stud,an adjusting nut retaining each pair of disks on its supporting stud,and a cone'ty-pe tempered compression spring urging each pair of disksin contact, one with the other, in a manner to grip yarn when it isplaced between them.

2. In a loom including a shaft and a battery of bobbins with fillingyarn thereon, yarn tensioning mechanism comprising a wheel having a hubof a size to fit on said shaft, and a series of uniformly spaced armsextending at angles of substantially 45 from the axis of said hub, aring on the outer end of said arms, a series of uniformly spaced radialprojections extending outwardly from said ring, a stud carried by eachof said projections substantially at right angles thereto, a pair ofcooperating tension disks with adjacent peripheral portions beveled andproviding an annular V-shaped groove mounted on each stud, an adjustingnut retaining each pair of disks on its supporting stud, and a cone-typetempered compression spring urging each pair of disks in contact, .onewith the other, in a manner to grip yarn when it is placed between 7them.

3. In a loom including a shaft and a battery of bobbins with fillingyarn thereon, yarn tensioning mechanism comprising a hub of a size tofitfon said shaft, and a series of uniformly spaced arms extending atangles of. substantially 45? from the .axis .of said hub, a ring on theouter end of said arms, a seriesof uniformly spaced radial projectionsextending outwardly from said ring, a stud carried by each of saidprojections substantially at right angles thereto, a pair of cooperatingtension disks with adjacent peripheral portions beveled and providing anannular groove mounted on each stud, an adjusting nut retaining eachpair of disks on its supporting .stud, and a cone-type compressionspring urging each pair of disks in contact, one withthe other, in amanner to grip yarn when it is placed between them.

4. In a loom including a shaft and a battery of bobbins with fillingyarn thereon, yarn tensioning mechanism comprising a ring mountedconcentric to and spaced from the battery, a series of projectionsmounted on said ring, a

pivot member carried by each projection extending latt erally from saidprojection in substantially the plane of the periphery of said ring, apair of rotatable cooperating tension disks mounted on each pivot memberand having adjacent peripheral portions beveled providing an annulargroove, an adjustablemember retaining each pair of disks on said pivotmember and a cone-type compression spring urging the disks of each pairtogether in a manner to grip yarn.

5. For use with a loom having a shaft and a oattery'of bobbins withfilling yarn thereon, of yarn tensioning mechanism comprising a Wheeladapted to fit on said shaft, a series of uniformly spaced supportingprojections extending radially outward from said wheel, a pivot memherfor each of said projections extending laterally there'- from and insubstantially the plane of the periphery of said wheel, a pair ofcooperating pressure disks rotatabiy mounted on each pivot member, acone-type compres' sion spring urging said disks together in a manner togrip yarn.

6. A device for maintaining tension on yarn carried in a battery inconnection with a loom, said device comprising a wheel, a hub, a seriesof spokes and a ring member at the end of said spokes, a series ofradial projections extending outwardly from said ring member, a seriesof studs extending laterally from said projections substantially'in theplane of said ring member, and pairs of coopcrating friction disksmounted on each stud and having contiguous peripheral edges beveled forguiding yarn between t-he same mounted on said studs, a conical springpressing said disks toward each other, and a threaded nut on each ofsaid studs for adjusting the pressure on said spring.

7. A device for maintaining tension on yarn carried a battery inconnection with a loom, said device comprising a circular member, aseries of radial projections cxtending outwardly from said circularmember, a series of studstextending substantially laterally from saidprojections substantially at right angles to the axis of said circularmember, pairs of cooperating pressure disks mounted on said studs andadapted to frictionaliy hold therebetween and spring means forcing saiddisks together.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES FATENTS750,411 Stone 26, 1904 762,023 Brown June 7, 1904 939,326 Ryon Nov. 9,1909 1,013,884 Marchal Jan. 9, 1912 1,115,983 Stone "a Nov, 3, 19M1,212,400 Rhoades Lian. l6, l9l7 1,612,179 Cunniif Dec. 28, 1926

